Webinar: Climate Change Vulnerability in New England and Northern New York

Climate change is a growing concern for forests across the Northeast, and foresters and woodland owners are considering how to prepare for future conditions and how to evaluate risks for the lands that they own and manage. The USDA Forest Service has published a new report describing how climate change is expected to affect the 40 million acres of forest found in the region. A team of more than 30 scientists and land managers contributed to the report: New England and Northern New York Forest Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis: A Report from the New England Climate Change Response Framework Project. Climate change is already having an impact on the region’s forests, increasing damage from extreme precipitation events and insect pests. Future changes could dramatically alter the landscape that characterizes the region. The report assesses the vulnerability of eight major community types in the region and provides a foundation that foresters can use to make ecosystems more resilient and adaptable to future conditions.

Maria Janowiak, deputy director of the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science and lead author of the assessment, will present the major findings of the report and describe how forest managers can begin to consider climate change as part of their management planning and activities. Maria coordinates project activities for the Climate Change Response Framework in New England and northern New York, working with a variety of public and private land management and conservation organizations to help forest ecosystems adapt to changing conditions. This work involves communicating the effects of climate change on regional forests and working with managers to develop real-world examples of climate change adaptation.